Partial support is requested for Conferences on the Molecular Biology of Hearing and Deafness (MBHD). This series of meetings has been held successfully since 1992, which argues strongly for the continued success of the future Conferences. The 8th Conference will occur at the Welcome Trust Conference Center at the Sanger Institute in Hinxton, near Cambridge, U.K., on July 6-9, 2011. Support for this conference would be used to reduce the cost of attendance for U.S. students/ postdoctoral fellows and under-represented minority scientists, since existing support for such travel is restricted to U.K. and European candidates. Support is also requested for the 9th Conference, to be held in La Jolla, CA in October of 2013, and the 10th Conference, to be held in the U.K. in 2015. Specific Aims 1. To promote research in emerging areas of molecular biology. These currently include: massively parallel, next-generation sequencing;epigenetics;and comparative genomics;which have experienced significant recent growth due to technical advances and accumulating sequence data. 2. To review progress in molecular biology related to hearing and deafness by inviting scientists involved in significant recent research to present their results, and by soliciting free papers reporting research at the molecular level related to the auditory system. 3. To facilitate interaction and collaboration between different laboratories engaged in molecular auditory research, as well as between basic scientists and clinicians with related interests in the molecular biology and molecular genetics of deafness. 4. To promote translational research that can lead to diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment of hearing disorders. 5. To encourage trainees and scientists from under-represented minorities to enter careers in the molecular biology of hearing and deafness. 6. To provide outreach to patients, patient advocacy groups, clinicians and schools in the local area, for education in the genetics of deafness and hearing research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Partial support is requested for Conferences on the Molecular Biology of Hearing and Deafness, an ongoing series of meetings designed to bring together researchers in different topics, including molecular genetics/gene discovery;the molecular basis of auditory function;development;the molecular basis of otologic disorders;hair cell regeneration, and molecular medicine/gene therapy for diseases of hearing. The meetings will also review recent developments in molecular methodologies and promote the interaction of scientists and trainees to share recent results, encourage new studies and collaborations, encourage the translation of basic science results to the clinic, and provide outreach to hearing handicapped patients and clinicians working in this area. The 8th Conference will be held on the campus of the Sanger Institute near Cambridge, England on July 6-9, 2011, the 9th Conference in La Jolla, CA in October of 2013, and the 10th Conference in the U.K. in July of 2015.